So, I don't know what goes on in the minds of the developers, but this new pack opening experience is really unpleasant. It is time consuming and a pain to have to repeatedly click on packs to get them to fully open. But I think that others have already commented on this. My complaint is regarding the stash step. I do not see how to sort the stash, aside from the default, which is the most rare/valuable item goes to the top of the list. This makes the stash one big messy list, even after opening 10 dvl event packs, which have fewer items than an actual cartel pack. And when I try to clean up my stash by pulling out trash (such as courting companion gifts and minor exploration experience boosts), each time I select the trash to pull it out, the stash defaults back to the top of the list. So, I have to select again the trash before pulling out the second item or another trashy item from the bottom of the list. If I am clicking too fast or my computer is reacting too slow or I forget to re-select each time, I accidentally pull out that rare top item on the wrong toon. I can't even imagine what a headache and what frustration I would have if I were trying to clean up stash from a hypercrate. The whole experience does NOT make me want to buy packs.

Theres two things that really bug me, to the point id rather not have it at all.

The bind timer not counting down from when the pack is opened.

Not being able load unbound items back into it.

 

The only redeeming feature of it for me is being able to grab an item on an alt straight away, not that big of a deal, but cool nonetheless, in the odd time I may want to do that.

This makes the stash one big messy list, even after opening 10 dvl event packs, which have fewer items than an actual cartel pack. And when I try to clean up my stash by pulling out trash (such as courting companion gifts and minor exploration experience boosts), each time I select the trash to pull it out, the stash defaults back to the top of the list.

 

It is slightly annoying how it does that, and if not careful I could see someone pulling out an item they want on a different character by accident, with no way to rectify that.

 

The list could do with some form of checkboxes along the side, similar to the mailbox checkboxes, so you can pull out numerous items all at once on a character.

There are sorting controls. I don't have the game up right now, so I couldn't tell you where they are, up top above the list, I think. I also don't remember the available sort orders, but I think they weren't everything I'd want.

 

It has two faults that I can see:

1. It has no "Open this entire stack of boxes and stash all the contents" button. Particularly valuable after you open a couple of modern hypercrates, and want to clear out your pile of dozens of Chance Cubes.
   
2. The list of items is both paged *and* scrolled. Guys, choose one or the other, not a weird fusion of both!
   

I like it, and considering this was done purely because players were complaining about the bound items from the in-game DvL packs, I think BW did something really quickly to address this.

 

What do players do? Nothing but complain. Not sure why BW do anything for you guys. In time I am sure BW can tweak it slightly.

Edited August 19, 2016 by DreadtechSavant

I like it, and considering this was done purely because players were complaining about the bound items from the in-game DvL packs, I think BW did something really quickly to address this.

 

What do players do? Nothing but complain. Not sure why BW do anything for you guys. In time I am sure BW can tweak it slightly.

For me, the only tweak that's really important is to choose paged or scrolled. Either just have pages OR just have a scroll bar. Do NOT have both. (Heck, I don't even care *which* they choose, so long as they choose just one of the two.)

For me, the only tweak that's really important is to choose paged or scrolled. Either just have pages OR just have a scroll bar. Do NOT have both. (Heck, I don't even care *which* they choose, so long as they choose just one of the two.)

 

So much this.

I like it, and considering this was done purely because players were complaining about the bound items from the in-game DvL packs, I think BW did something really quickly to address this.

 

What do players do? Nothing but complain. Not sure why BW do anything for you guys. In time I am sure BW can tweak it slightly.

 

It's not so much complaining as it is saying "I don't like the way this thing works at the moment & I have a suggestion".

Bioware do these things because they like money, that is why.

 

God, that's so annoying. The last thing this game needs is another way to waste the player's time and drag the game out.

I don't understand the importance of need for a "Stash" - I opened the pack, just throw it in my inventory already and tell me how long I have till I can sell the items for maybe 10k credits (thats a bad joke)

The bind timer not counting down from when the pack is opened.

The bind timer counts down, like it *always* did, from when you extract the item into your inventory. In the old days, you could open a pack (which would permanently bind the *pack* to you) and leave the items in it, by closing the pack-contents window. If you later opened the pack again, and took an item out, the bind timer started then (and not when you *first* opened the pack).

 

The difference now is that once you have opened a pack and seen what is in it, the pack is not in your inventory.

The bind timer counts down, like it *always* did, from when you extract the item into your inventory. In the old days, you could open a pack (which would permanently bind the *pack* to you) and leave the items in it, by closing the pack-contents window. If you later opened the pack again, and took an item out, the bind timer started then (and not when you *first* opened the pack).

 

The difference now is that once you have opened a pack and seen what is in it, the pack is not in your inventory.

 

I understand that and why, so you couldn't sneak a look then sell it if you didn't like what was in it.

This new stash is just that, it "opens" the packs then places those items into an extra inventory area to store those items.

I can't see why that excludes the timer counting down or what possible reason for having it that way.

I hope they include a way to open them like we used to be able to, as its an annoying time sink for me the way it is now because i want the stuff off the timer as asap.

I like it, and considering this was done purely because players were complaining about the bound items from the in-game DvL packs, I think BW did something really quickly to address this.

 

What do players do? Nothing but complain. Not sure why BW do anything for you guys. In time I am sure BW can tweak it slightly.

 

And since it's apparently not retroactive it's useless to a number of players regardless. Gear that my character can't use and can't send to alts, but if I'd waited to re-grind old content I could have used the shiny new stash!

I can't see why that excludes the timer counting down or what possible reason for having it that way.

It doesn't exclude it, but it *isn't* a change in the functionality. The timer *always* started when the extracted item landed in your character's inventory rather than when you saw what the item was.

It doesn't exclude it, but it *isn't* a change in the functionality. The timer *always* started when the extracted item landed in your character's inventory rather than when you saw what the item was.

 

Now you're splitting hairs, I told you what the change was, so just stop it.

We already have one annoying twit that argues that way all the time on the forums, we don't need another.

Now you're splitting hairs, I told you what the change was, so just stop it.

We already have one annoying twit that argues that way all the time on the forums, we don't need another.

Hmm. Well, whatever. But no, let's NOT make the timer start when you open the pack into the stash. There are only 250 slots in the stash, and two (or more) of the same item currently stack together in the stash (even if they don't necessarily stack together after you unstash them), but they wouldn't be able to do that if the items had running timers, because the timers wouldn't all be the same. (Yes, you could do it, but then you'd need some way of seeing what the timers were, and a way to pick which item you claimed - even if it is always "the oldest one"(1) - and ...)

 

Let's keep the UI for the stash as simple as possible. (It isn't currently as simple as possible, since it has pages *and* a scrollbar, but that's a separate debate.)

 

We notice the "timer starts on inventory arrival" thing more with the stash because we leave items in the stash more than we used to leave them in already-opened packs, although I did sometimes go through the packs of a crate and extract the stackable stuff like Jawa junk and companion gifts, while leaving the other items for later.

 

(1) "always grabs the oldest" isn't always appropriate. If I'm grabbing one to *use* on this character, I want the one with the *longest* timer, not the *shortest*.

 

Summary: the current behaviour of the stash keeps it simpler than it would be otherwise, AND is more like the old system. There is an argument to be made that "pack opening" should be the criterion for activating the timer rather than "inventory arrival", but it raises some other issues, and complicates an already-complicated UI.

 

Observation: I presume you weren't arguing (since you didn't mention it) that the old system should have done the "timer starts on pack opening" thing, just like you want the stash to do. If I'm wrong about that, please say so.

Hmm. Well, whatever. But no, let's NOT make the timer start when you open the pack into the stash. There are only 250 slots in the stash, and two (or more) of the same item currently stack together in the stash (even if they don't necessarily stack together after you unstash them), but they wouldn't be able to do that if the items had running timers, because the timers wouldn't all be the same. (Yes, you could do it, but then you'd need some way of seeing what the timers were, and a way to pick which item you claimed - even if it is always "the oldest one"(1) - and ...)

 

Let's keep the UI for the stash as simple as possible. (It isn't currently as simple as possible, since it has pages *and* a scrollbar, but that's a separate debate.)

 

We notice the "timer starts on inventory arrival" thing more with the stash because we leave items in the stash more than we used to leave them in already-opened packs, although I did sometimes go through the packs of a crate and extract the stackable stuff like Jawa junk and companion gifts, while leaving the other items for later.

 

(1) "always grabs the oldest" isn't always appropriate. If I'm grabbing one to *use* on this character, I want the one with the *longest* timer, not the *shortest*.

 

Summary: the current behaviour of the stash keeps it simpler than it would be otherwise, AND is more like the old system. There is an argument to be made that "pack opening" should be the criterion for activating the timer rather than "inventory arrival", but it raises some other issues, and complicates an already-complicated UI.

 

Observation: I presume you weren't arguing (since you didn't mention it) that the old system should have done the "timer starts on pack opening" thing, just like you want the stash to do. If I'm wrong about that, please say so.

 

I understand about stacks and the timer, that could be seen with decos prior to release of the stash feature, and wondering which one to pull is hardly a problem as i go back to it in a couple of days like i've always done and everything is off timer anyway.

 

To me, all this pack stash thing has done is caused me to have to click so many more times than I used to have to do because i want the stuff off timer asap, which means everything gets pulled from the stash and into my inventory at pack opening time anyway.

If allowing an option to have it take up more space with timers within the stash was a bridge too far for them, they should've at least have left an option to open the packs the conventional way.

If allowing an option to have it take up more space with timers within the stash was a bridge too far for them, they should've at least have left an option to open the packs the conventional way.

Perhaps something like if you right-click on a stack of packs, it opens one the old way, while if you use the "open pack" button in the stash interface, it uses the stash? I could get behind that. (Exception: you would have to have enough inventory space to receive the entire contents *immediately* in your inventory, or the pack you open would become a "classic" pack with its own inventory slot, or something. Details that need to be worked out, but you get the idea.)

Very small minority (though very loud one) opens 300+ packs every day. This "problem" only affects few players.

- too time consuming

- the pack opening experience is nice BUT still too time consuming

The one good thing about the STASH is that items do not take over a character's inventory..

 

I see 1 thing for making an improvement:

1/ Make it such that one can put things into the stash from a character's inventory

 

For the new way of opening cartel packs- not good. Cannot see chat ! Could it not be minimised in some way please.

So, pretty much my one thought about this so far is that the bind timer should start counting down, regardless of whether you take it out of the stash (perhaps put the info on the side, where the claim buttons are).

 

Because right now, the space-saving aspect of it is both useful and nonsensical at the same time. What I mean by that is: On the one hand, you can save space by leaving stuff in there a while, taking your time to figure out what to do with it. On the other hand, if there's anything you want to sell, you want to take it out and crowd your inventory ASAP, or you're just extending the bind timer needlessly.

 

Also, DvL items (I guess it's two thoughts)... currently I don't think there's any way to tell these apart from regular CM drops, aside from claiming the item and checking if it shows up as bound without a timer. This would be another area where putting the info on the side would be nice. I would imagine DvL items have some kind of special stamp on them in the database already, so just put that in an info box for the relevant items. This is another case where needing to take the item out of the stash to figure out what to do with it defeats the point of the stash existing.

 

Fix these two things and I think it'll be a lot better of an experience. As it is now, it's a nice storage box for people who don't want to immediately sift through everything, but it's not much more than that.